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| Finding what you want on the Internet and World Wide Web isn't always easy. A search may retrieve no result or more than 10,000 results. Each search engine is different; they vary in features, size and comprehensiveness. Choosing the right tool and knowing how to use it will help you quickly find the information you need. | ||
| Subject Directories Subject directories are hand picked lists of "good" sites. They are the best choice when you don't know where to begin or your topic is covered extensively on the World Wide Web. |
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| SRJC Libraries Internet Reference Collection: | http://www.santarosa.edu/library/Refs/ | |
| Librarians' Index to the Internet | http://www.lii.org | |
| Infomine: | ||
| Yahoo | http://www.yahoo.com | |
| Search Engines Search engines allow you to focus your search using specific words, phrases and commands. Use search engines for very specific topics and when you get results that are too general for your topic |
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| Google: | http://www.google.com/ | |
| Alta Vista: | http://www.altavista.com | |
| ASK.com | http://www.ask.com | |
| All the Web: | http://www.alltheweb.com | |
| Hotbot: | http://hotbot.lycos.com | |
| Meta-search Engines Meta-search engines search several search engines at once. One search retrieves a consolidated report as if you searched all the search engines individually. These mega search engines can save you time, however they can also yield confusing and even inaccurate results for complex searches. Use meta-search engines only for simple searches. |
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| vivisimo: | http://vivisimo.com | |
| Dogpile: | http://www.dogpile.com | |
| ixquick Metasearch: | http://ixquick.com/ | |
| Metacrawler: | http://www.metacrawler.com | |
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SEARCH TECHNIQUES Remember every search engine is different. A command which works in one may not work in another. The following techniques enable you to refine searches. To search most efficiently, always find and click on the help link or button that explains how to use the search engine. |
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CASE |
Capitalization Many search engines are case sensitive. Use capitalization only if you want to require a capitalized term in your results. Example: Golden Gate Bridge or John Steinbeck |
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“ _ _ _ _ _ ” |
Phrase Searching Enclosing more than one word in quotations forms a phrase. The search tool retrieves only those sites which have that exact phrase in that exact order, which narrows your search. Examples: “gun control" “welfare reform" “affirmative action" |
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* |
Truncation / Wildcards Placing a symbol (usually *) after the first part of a keyword tells the search engine to look for any words beginning with those letters. Truncation broadens your search by allowing you to search for singular, plural, and variations of a word at the same time. Examples: femin* retrieves feminine, feminist, feminism, etc. |
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+ / -
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Require / Exclude Term Typing a + immediately before a keyword (no space) limits the search to documents containing that word or phrase. Inserting a - immediately before a keyword (no space) excludes all documents containing that word or phrase. Examples: +bilingual +California +initiative requires that all 3 terms, in any order, be presented. |
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AND OR NOT NEAR |
Boolean or Logic Operators Boolean Logic involves the use of specific words to link multiple search terms. These operators may be used alone and with or without parentheses to create very precise searches. Check the HELP link in the search engine to determine if and how Boolean operators may be used. |
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| AND requires all terms to be somewhere in records retrieved | ||
OR allows either term to be present |
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NOT/AND NOT exclude terms |
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| NEAR requires terms to be within a certain number of words from each other | ||
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| Copyright (C) 2004 Santa Rosa Junior College. All rights reserved. | By: Santa Rosa Junior College Librarians. |
| Last updated:April 24, 2008 | Questions and Comments: Phyllis Usina |